Camera at the Mart: heifers hit high prices in Ballinrobe

Ballinrobe Mart held its weekly cattle sale last Wednesday afternoon, with numbers sold through the ring down on previous weeks, which reflects the time of year.

There was a large show of continentals among the west of Ireland cattle, with Charolais and Limousin-cross animals dominating the sale. Good prices reflected the quality of cattle that was on offer.

The bullock trade remained similar to prices being paid in the northwest.

Cattle sold between €730 and €1,450, with the price per kg ranging from €2.48/kg to €3.66/kg. Bullocks over the 500kg mark averaged €2.56/kg, while lighter stock between 400kg and 500kg crossed just over the €3/kg mark.

Cattle in this weight bracket fetched the top prices, such as a 422kg Limousin-cross bullock that sold for €1,450 (€3.44/kg), while a 280kg Charolais secured €1,000 (€3.57/kg). The top price of €3.66/kg was paid for another Charolais weighing 350kg which finished bidding at €1,280.

Heifer trade

The heifer trade remained positive, with prices ranging from €2.16/kg to a high of €3.78/kg.

Those between 400kg and 500kg averaged €3/kg, similar to weeks gone by, with examples such as a 470kg Limousin-cross selling for €1,440 (€3.06/kg) and a Charolais at 500kg selling at the higher end at €1,890 (€3.78/kg).

Heavier cattle over 500kg averaged €2.90/kg, with a 615kg Charolais selling for €1,870 (€3.04/kg).

Cows ranged in price from €910 to a maximum of €2,100 for a super Limousin-cross cow which weighed in at 815kg and secured a price of €2.58/kg.

Cow-and-calf outfits

There was a nice offering of cow and calf outfits ranging in price from €1,420 to a top price of €2,420 for a 2018-born Angus-cross cow with an Angus-cross bull calf at foot.

Weanling bulls were a good trade with those between 200kg and 350kg averaging €2.83/kg, while the top price just fell short of €4/kg for a Charolais weighing 270kg at €1,060 (€3.93/kg). Prices ranged from €380 to €1,250 or between €1.63/kg and €3.93/kg.